A lot of promising input technologies have emerged in the last half decade. Wii remotes. The iOS touchscreen. Kinect. Voice search. In light of this new competition, many have predicted the death of the mouse and keyboard. But if sales are any indication, that's not happening. "People are buying more mice and keyboards today than in years past," says Rory Dooley, senior vice president of devices at Logitech, one of the worlds largest manufacturers of computer accessories. In fact, retail revenue from the company's input devices in fiscal year 2011 was near 2008's all-time high. That may come as a surprise to some. After all, the keyboard is more than a century old -- older than your washer and dryer. For its part, the mouse was popularized nearly 30 years ago, even before such blasé innovations as the Web, airbags, and voicemail. But there's good reason for the mouse and keyboard's uncanny endurance. Above all, the pairing still trumps newer technologies when it comes to making digital goods. "Imagine working in a large Excel doc without the precision of a mouse or spending hours in front of email without the comfort of a keyboard," says Debbie Uttecht, hardware marketing manager at Microsoft. "It just doesn't add up. Unlike more recent innovations like tablets -- which simplify how digital goods are consumed -- the mouse and keyboard are more like F-150s and Camrys than Camaros or Beemers. They're computational power tools. "The interface was developed to allow people to create content," says Dooley. "And it is still the best interface today for that purpose." Which explains why most nine-to-fivers still reach for them first during the workday, but are less likely to do so during "lean back" experiences on nights and weekends.
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